Of Crosses And Swords: Judy Meets Nick
It was a rainy and foggy night at the streets of London. A cab was riding past Hyde Park as somebody hopped off on a street. A female rabbit wearing a brown hat and coat over her bluish dress walked towards a set of buildings there. She put her umbrella in her suitcase because she would get indoors soon out of the rain. Dr. Judy Hopps was on her latest mystery. This time it was not just discovering a lost bauble, but where it came from and how it caused unusual events at the museum. A bejeweled Celtic cross pendant had been stolen from the British Museum, with a strange cork in the crime scene. Even though Judy wasn´t a detective, she had volunteered to help with the case. Bogo had told her that he knew a mysterious gentleman fox living in Hyde Park who was very fascinated with supernatural issues. The fox was a wealthy bachelor named Nick Wilde, who worked in the circus as a magician. Lots of strange rumors had been going around him. Some said he was a con artist, others said he was a real sorcerer. Everything Judy had read about him fascinated the rabbit a lot. Finally, she found the house where the fox was rumored to live in. Lit by two gas lamps and decorated by two almost Gothic fox statues, there was a very mystical aura around the house. Judy didn´t know whether she should feel scared or fascinated by the feeling there. Still, she went to the door and knocked on the vulpine doorknocker. She waited a while, until an otter housekeeper opened the door. “Good evening, ma`am. I´m Dr. Judy Hopps. Is Mr. Wilde home at the moment?” Judy took off her hat and asked. “Yes, he´ll show up soon. Come in, a pretty young lady like you shouldn´t be let to stay in the rain all night”, the otter lady let her in. The Wilde mansion was an unbelievable sight on the inside. It had lots of dark purple and brownish furniture, including a canopy bed with foxlike bannisters, a great fireplace, several Gothic and Celtic paintings and sculptures as well as a laboratory that looked like it belonged to a wizard, with alchemy equipment, a skull on the table and even a crystal ball. Even though Judy didn´t believe in magic, it all impressed her in a strange way. Suddenly, a puff of smoke occurred at the middle of the room. A handsome fox in a suit with a cape and a cane appeared. The otter housekeeper was startled. “Mr. Nick, is it any possible you wouldn´t try out these disappearing tricks when I´m in here? I don´t want to get a heart attack”, the otter said. “Don´t worry, Mrs. Otterton. They´re just practice for my next big act in the circus”, the fox smiled. He noticed Judy too. The fox bowed chivalrously at the attractive young rabbit. “Greetings, my lady. Who might you be, and what brings you to my humble home?” he asked. “I´m Dr. Judy Hopps. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Nicholas Wilde. I need your help in a certain case”, Judy shook paws with him. “With pleasure, but would you mind staying here for tea first? I insist”, Nick asked. “I guess so”, Judy said. Mrs. Otterton soon brought tea and crumpets to the two as they sat on the table lit with a candle together. Nick and Judy told each other about themselves, and seemed to enjoy each other´s company instantly. “So…what were you asking about when you came here? It has something to do with the museum, I guess”, Nick thought. “Yes. You donated a bejeweled Celtic cross to the museum. Now it is stolen, do you know anything about this?” Judy asked. Nick went pale and looked shocked. It reminded him of something big. “Is everything alright, Sir?” Judy was concerned. The fox was a little hesitant to tell her, but with how trustworthy the rabbit seemed, there was a part in him that wanted to tell. “What you are about to hear you must never reveal to anyone”, he said seriously. “Do tell”, Judy sipped some tea. “The bejeweled Celtic cross is a family heirloom that has been in my family for years. My father gave it to me when I grew up. I don´t know where he got it from, but it seemed to work in our hands for some reason. The tales about them containing the powers of the Druids…it´s all true. We have those abilities in our family”, Nick placed his paw on a napkin. Suddenly, it caught fire. “I-it cannot be. Is that…magic?” Judy was shocked. “It is. I´m not just a parlor trick magician. Our family has studied the lore of ancient Druids and wizards, and that cross was long thought to enhance our powers. There were several of them, but we didn´t know where the other crosses were. However…it all changed one day. My father got killed during one circus act, with only the cross left in the death scene. We thought the artifact was the one that caused his death, so we gave it to the museum”, Nick said. “I´m so sorry, Nick”, Judy looked at him with empathy. A tragedy in an unusual life was the thing that started this whole mystery. “I swore to use magic more sparingly after that and never used any artifact like that again, so that they wouldn´t end up in the wrong hands”, Nick told. “But now they have, and we must find a way to get them back. Can you help us?” Judy asked. Nick considered this for a second. He didn´t want any more trouble for his magic, but he didn´t want others to suffer without his involvement either. “Yes. I will help you”, Nick looked Judy in the eyes. “Thanks a lot, Sir. We found this in the crime scene, can you deduce anything from this?” Judy showed the cork with the letter R on it. Nick gasped. A similar cork had been in his father´s death scene too. “Oh my. I have seen this before. It is the mark of The Professor, a shadowy figure in the underworld. Nobody knows who he is, but everybody fears him. He strikes whenever you least expect him to do that, and he has several underlings in his command”, Nick told. “Can we use this to find him? Is he behind all of this?” Judy wondered. “Don´t know…but I know someone who could help track this down. I have a friend in the docks who sees wine shipping there all the time, and might know from which bottle this cork came from. We should go see him”, Nick told. “We better hurry. Whoever stole the cross must be found”, Judy said as the two were ready to go. The adventure was kicking off, and seeds of friendship had been planted. The archaeologist and the magician were ready for a quest that would change their life forever. Meanwhile, a shadowy figure walked in the other side of London and entered a seedy pub. It was a jackrabbit wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora. This was Judy´s nemesis, a master criminal and rogue treasure hunter Jack Savage. Inside the pub all sorts of cutthroats and ruffians were drinking and gambling. Jack approached the bartender on the counter. “I have an audience with the professor”, he said. “Go on. He awaits you”, the panther bartender opened a trapdoor leading to the basement. Down there was a cloaked female sheep that smiled wickedly at the jackrabbit. “There you are. We´re almost ready”, she said, opening the door to a dark room. In the darkness was an ominous shadow that was shorter than Jack or the sheep, but still intimidating. All one could see from the shadow was a top hat, opera cape and a cane in his paw. Heavy smoking odor was all around the room too. “You are late”, he said in a very sinister voice. “My apologies, Professor. I got what you wanted”, Jack pulled his pocket and showed the bejeweled Celtic cross to the shadowy figure. “Excellent. Now we need to find the other three crosses. Once they´re all in our possession, nothing can stop us”, he said. “Have you found wherever the rest are kept, Bellwether?” Jack asked the sheep. “The two yes, but the last one is a mystery. Neither of them are in England though, one is in the possession of a Maharajah in India and one is owned by a Duke in Russia. My research on those subjects isn´t complete yet though”, the sheep told. “Then you two must go there and steal them by any means necessary”, the stranger told them. “I´m not traveling that far unless you pay us more”, Jack snapped. “Of course, will this do? We cannot afford to lose, I failed once in my attempt to take over this country because of that miserable second-rate detective. I needed the assistance of a treasure hunter and a presumed witch for a case like this, I´ll do anything to ensure my victory”, the stranger placed a huge bag of gold on the table. “Offer accepted, Professor”, Jack said as he took the gold. “Good. Soon the kingdom will bow before us”, an evil, toothy smile was seen in the darkness. A new threat was about to rise from the depths of London´s underworld. Category:Fantasy adventure stories Category:Stories not in the Zootopia universe Category:Of Crosses And Swords series Category:Victorian Era stories